Londoners live in each other’s pockets. Greater London, England’s most crowded county, is home to 8.8m people. That works out at 5,618 per square kilometre – hardly conducive to peace and quiet. Residents of Bristol (4,186 people per km²), West Midlands (3,213), Greater Manchester (2,193) and Merseyside (2,190) fare little better. So where can you go for silence and solitude? Below are England’s 10 least crowded counties, plus expert tips on where to enjoy the tranquility. 10. Devon Population: 1,185,500 Area: 6,707 km² 176 people per km² Where to lose yourself It’s hard to beat Dartmoor, the largest area of open country in the south of England, with its ancient woodland, high granite tors and vast tracts of rolling moorland. Visit in spring to see lambs gambolling and hedgerows full of wildflowers, or in summer for lazy picnics and a wild swim. In autumn, heather carpets the hills, while wintry … [Read more...] about England’s 10 quietest counties
Destinations
Come for the food, stay for the night: inside Bless Hotel, Madrid’s latest hipster hang-out
It is not immediately clear, at the moment I step through the entrance of the Bless Hotel, that I have walked into a place designed for slumber. The broad thoroughfare of Calle de Velázquez outside, and the refined purr of traffic along it, has confirmed that I am in Madrid – in the well-to-do district of Salamanca, no less, with its chic boutiques, pricey real estate and easy access to the green lung of El Retiro park. But beyond this, in the warmth of what I expected to be the lobby, the visual clues are rather more confusing. Directly in front of me, a circular bar is weighted with bottles of spirits; the ceiling above it adorned with numbers, boxed into alternating squares of red and black. Away to the right, a second bar is similarly stocked for action – although not, in this case, attempting to impersonate an upside-down roulette wheel. And all around me are tables where young urbanites are contentedly picking at plates of picoteas ("nibbles") – … [Read more...] about Come for the food, stay for the night: inside Bless Hotel, Madrid’s latest hipster hang-out
Spice up your life: 14 of the most authentic cookery courses in Marrakech hotels
Cooking is taken seriously in Marrakech: where emphasis is placed on fresh produce from local souks and markets, and every multifarious grain of spice counts. Hotels, especially those with destination restaurants, are a popular choice of venue for cookery courses; learning the art of traditional Moroccan cooking from a resident chef is seen as authentic and a skillset you take home. Many of them offer tours around the markets too. From earthy tagines to spicy slow-cooked stews, here are some of the Red City's best hotels in which to hone your culinary skills. Riad Noir d’Ivoire The real show-stopper at this grand sandstone-coloured riad is chef Youssef Jbari’s modern-Moroccan dining menu. In a town that tends to favour heavy meat dishes and spice-filled flavours, his exceptional, unfussy cooking is a revelation, and there’s a 3,000-bottle wine list to match. If you’re feeling inspired you can book one of their private cookery sessions which begins with a trip to … [Read more...] about Spice up your life: 14 of the most authentic cookery courses in Marrakech hotels
Behind the scenes at Scully, a London restaurant where diners can be chef for the day
Whether it's a tour of the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House, the kitchens of the Ritz or the parts of St Paul’s Cathedral that visitors never normally see, going backstage and behind the scenes is always eye-opening. Only my friend Henrietta could have unearthed this particular gem of a culinary backstage stint – she’s an enthusiast, and enthusiasts make things happen. Scully is the eponymous first restaurant of Ramael Scully, previously head chef of Ottolenghi’s Nopi, and it opened in St James’s Market, close to Piccadilly Circus, in March last year. Reviewers have fallen over themselves to praise his truly transnational cooking which reflects both his Chinese, Indian, Balinese and Irish heritage and his life, which has taken him from childhood in Malaysia, training in Sydney and extensive travels and work in the Middle East, Russia and Europe. Henrietta was an early customer at Scully, which is backed by the Ottolenghi family … [Read more...] about Behind the scenes at Scully, a London restaurant where diners can be chef for the day
Hotel Hit Squad: Child-focused fun and family cookery courses make the Grand Hotel and Spa in York ideal for a half-term break
Hattie Garlick Follow 18 February 2019 • 2:54pm What are you looking for when you book a hotel with kids? It’s not a rhetorical question. I genuinely want to know. Tweet me (@hattiegarlick) or write (how charming would that be?) and I will diligently hunt down and test hotels that meet your specifications. Talk about selfless public service. Here’s my view. Travelling with children, I want one of two things. A true home from home, somewhere small, warm and characterful where my children’s eccentricities and muddy boots can be absorbed into the chatter and charm. (See: Penally Abbey in Pembrokeshire, or Augill Castle in Cumbria.) Or somewhere so vast and anonymous it’s like being luxuriously institutionalised. The benefit of this is that you can check in, and check out of adulting altogether for a short, blissful time. A concierge will do the thinking, the housekeeping the picking up and turning down – reducing you to a giant … [Read more...] about Hotel Hit Squad: Child-focused fun and family cookery courses make the Grand Hotel and Spa in York ideal for a half-term break